Hamas Frees Hostages Amid Ceasefire Uncertainty

GAZA, SATURDAY – Hamas released three Israeli citizens who were held hostage amid uncertainty over the continuation of the ceasefire. In return, Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners. The sixth exchange on Saturday (15/2/2025) has so far proceeded according to the agreement and is considered a positive signal.

The three Hamas hostages who were released are Iair Horn (46), Sagui Dekel-Chen (36), and Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov (29). They arrived at the release point on Saturday after mediators from Egypt and Qatar helped mediate the Hamas-Israel dispute that threatened the continuation of the ceasefire.

The three hostages were brought onto the stage, escorted by Hamas members carrying weapons in Khan Younis. On the stage, the hostages were asked to deliver a brief speech in Hebrew. The Hamas fighters handed an hourglass to Horn along with a photo of one of the hostages in Gaza with his mother, accompanied by the inscription "Time is Running Out" (for the remaining hostages in Gaza).

They were captured at Kibbutz Nir Oz when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Horn was captured along with his brother, Eitan, who is still being held hostage. Troufanov was taken hostage along with his mother, grandmother, and his partner. The three of them were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023.

Shortly after the three hostages were released, the first bus carrying Palestinian prisoners departed from Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank. Israel released 369 prisoners, including 36 individuals who had been sentenced to life imprisonment for deadly attacks against Israel. As the bus arrived in Ramallah, they were greeted with cheers from the residents, some of whom waved Palestinian flags.

Israel stated that it is working with the United States to free all remaining hostages as soon as possible. "We are working in full coordination with the United States to rescue all hostages, both alive and deceased, as quickly as possible, and we are fully prepared to face what lies ahead," said a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel, shortly after the release of three hostages.

So far the release of hostages and prisoners has gone according to the agreement. The ceasefire is threatened to collapse after Hamas said it would stop releasing hostages because Israel violated the agreement. Hamas accused Israel of blocking aid from entering Gaza.

Israel responded by threatening a “new war” if the hostages were not released by Saturday. Mediated by Qatar and Egypt, the two sides returned to the original agreement.

According to Hamas's statement, Egyptian and Qatari mediators will continue to strive to remove obstacles and close gaps so that the first phase of the ceasefire can continue.

Hamas does not want the deal to collapse. But it also rejects threats and intimidation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump who said the ceasefire should be scrapped if the hostages are not released by the end of the week.

The second phase of ceasefire talks was supposed to begin with the last two hostage releases. However, talks for the second phase of the ceasefire have fallen behind schedule.

So far, 24 Israeli hostages have been released, plus five Thais. There are still 73 hostages, half of whom are thought to have died in the Israeli attack on Gaza.

Under the agreement that came into effect on January 19, the first phase would see the release of 33 hostages, including women, children, sick hostages and elderly men in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

The emaciated condition of the hostages has sparked protests by Israelis urging the government to seriously seek the release of the remaining hostages and prevent a war. In order to prevent accusations of ill-treatment of the hostages, the Islamic Jihad group released a video showing Troufanov before his release enjoying fish on the beach in the Gaza Strip, Friday (2/14/2025).

In addition to the dispute between the two parties, the possibility of continuing the phase 2 ceasefire is overshadowed by uncertainty after Trump made comments that were considered to have worsened the situation. Trump threatened a "destroyed situation" in the Gaza Strip if all Israeli hostages were not released.

In addition, he said he would buy and own Gaza and then move the Palestinian population from Gaza. Trump intends to build Gaza into a luxury resort like in southeastern France.

The idea is considered to meet the criteria for genocide or ethnic cleansing. Arab countries, US allies in the West, and other countries, including Indonesia, have flatly rejected Trump's idea of moving Gazans. (AP/AFP/Reuters)